


Heartbreak, Hero Style

by Adrienne_Of_The_Dark



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Multi, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-14
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-02-02 03:16:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 18,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12718536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adrienne_Of_The_Dark/pseuds/Adrienne_Of_The_Dark
Summary: Main summary:With Adrien being nicer to Marinette, accidentally leading her on, she confesses, leaving Adrien trying not to hurt her while still rejecting her feelings. He doesn't understand the consequences behind his ignorance..Chapter summary:Marinette gives Adrien a very important letter, which might have been a mistake..





	1. Confession

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Emma](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emma/gifts).



> I hope the separate summaries aren't weird.. Well, I wouldn't be able to tell. This is my first time publishing anything on here. So I hope it goes well.

She took a deep breath, hidden behind a wall from the view of the model inside. For the past few weeks, he was acting nicer and nicer around her, and she thought she knew why. It took some convincing from Alya to make herself admit it, but she thought that Adrien liked her back. She knew that she would stutter of she said it to his face, so she wrote a letter that she was going to give to him directly. The envelope was currently being held tightly in her hands, which were shaking lightly in nervousness and eagerness.

"You can do this, this is nothing. You are Ladybug, you've faced much worse," she mumbled to herself.

".. Um, Marinette?" a quick turn to her side revealed that the blond had exited the room, and was currently smiling lightly at her, staring through her with his emerald eyes. Her own sapphire irises stared blankly back, slowly registering that she was supposed to say something.

"O-oh, h-hi! I didn't see you there!" 'Destroyed! Ruined! Eliminated! He thinks you're weird!' half her mind shouted. But the louder part buried those thoughts. 'He's initiating conversation! Now's the time! Give him the letter soon!' Said letter crinkled lightly in her nervous grip.

Adrien, noticing the name elegantly written on the paper, grinned. "Is that for me?" He pointed at it.

Her eyes widened, looking down at her hands. "U-um, yeah, it is.." she started putting the note in his hand before retracting it. "Y-you have to read it alone! This is only for you! No one else is allowed to see it!" 'Idiot...'

It was his turn to stare at her blankly. "Um, okay..?" he took the letter from her fingers, noting the little heart above the "i" in his name. "Thank you."

"N-no problem!" she yelped, quickly covering her mouth. "W-well, you can respond whenever you want! You aren't being rushed! I'll see you tomorrow bye!" She ran off, avoiding his gaze so he wouldn't see her flushed face.

"I did it... I did it. I did it!" she threw her arms in the air in a celebratory manner, jumping through the halls. Most of the school left, besides those in clubs and her and Adrien. Still, she got some confused looks from people in classrooms, and quietly put her hands down, embarassed.

Once walking home, the little red god poked her head out of the girl's bag. "Great job Marinette! I'm sure he'll love the letter!"

She giggled. "Thanks Tikki. Do you think he'll say yes?"

"I know he will! I can tell!" she smiled triumphantly.

Marinette laughed, cheeks still red from running and talking to Adrien.

Tikki smiled. 'This girl deserves to be happy after an entire year of chasing him..'

\---

Meanwhile, Adrien was sitting in the classroom, looking in awe at the letter in front of him.

The black god on his shoulder groaned. "Can't we go home yet? She's probably gone already, you won't bump into her."

"That's not the problem, Plagg. How am I supposed to reject her?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here's the first chapter! Sorry to say, but it doesn't necessarily get "better". Marinette doesn't have a good time. Feel free to comment, I'll try to answer everything!


	2. Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette has a nice time deciding what to do once she gets home, and Adrien gets advice from Plagg.

She crashed into the bakery, a silly love-sick smile plastered on her face. She tripped over her feet, landing on her face.

"Marinette?! Are you okay?" Sabine rushed over to help her up.

She lifted her head up, her nose red from the fall. "I'm wonderful! I've never been better!"

She chuckled, helping her stand up. "What was so great about your day?"

"Everything! Well, not really. Chloe was still a brat, especially when I tripped into the classroom, but I saw Adrien! And it was amazing! He took the letter, maman! He might say yes! What if he says yes!?" Her eyes glittered with excitement.

"Okay, slow down. Why don't we talk upstairs? Your father can take care of the customers. Right?" she turned to look at Tom, who then nodded.

"I've got it under control. But I expect to hear everything later, okay?" he grinned.

"Of course, papa!" She rushed through the door behind the counter, stumbling up the stairs in joy.

"Slow down Marinette, or you're going to hurt yourself!"

"I'm fine!!" she called down, swinging herself through the door at the top. Sabine followed closely behind, making sure her daughter didn't fall again.

"Maman, you won't believe it! I write a letter to Adrien, and remembered to sign it! And I gave it directly to him! Sure, I stuttered a lot, and ran off after, but he thanked me for it! He likes it! I'm sure!!"

"So you finally confessed? What did the letter say?"

"Um, it said that I've liked him for a while, and that he can answer any time he wants, but I think he'll answer tomorrow! He seemed happy to get it!"

"Aw, my little darling finally confessed! I'm so happy for you!" Sabine pulled her into a hug. "We should celebrate! I'm making cupcakes for you, I'll be back!" she jumped up and went downstairs, and Marinette heard the joyful shout of her father. She grinned widely, jumping up and down.

Tikki flew out of her pocket. "Will you save one for me?"

"Of course Tikki! Did you think I wasn't going to?" She giggled. "Oh! I should make him something! Or get him something, if I can't make it in time for tomorrow..."

"You should get him roses! They symbolise love! Well, red roses do. You should get him a variety of roses! Like red, pink, and white!"

"Yeah! Pink and white roses would be perfect! Thank you Tikki!" She planted a little kids on the kwami's head before running up her steps and grabbing her wallet. "I think I have enough for a bouquet with money to spare, so I should definitely get him real roses! It would probably mean a lot to him!" She squealed in happiness. "I should go right now! Wait, I need them to be as fresh as possible..."

"You should get a vase ready to put them in! They'll stay fresh that way!"

"Good thinking Tikki!" she searched and found a nice pear shaped case and poured water in, setting it in the counter. "We're ready to go! Now my main wish is that there's no alums to slow me down!" She chuckled. "So, let's go!"

Tikki zoomed into her bag, lightly nestling herself under the wallet Marinette Would need as said girl jumped out of the bakery's side door, searching for where the nearest florist was.

\---

Adrien has gotten home, not saying a word to Nathalie or the gorrila, who didn't talk much in the first place.

He went to his room without more than a single "thank you" to the assistant, and layed on his bed, looking over the short letter once again.

"Dear Adrien," it read.

"This might be surprising, but I'd like to say that I like you. A lot. I've liked you ever since you gave me your umbrella on that rainy day. Remember it? By the way, I still have it, if you need it back. You can reply whenever you'd like, so please don't feel like you need to say something right away!

"Yours, Marinette Dupain-Cheng." He closed his eyes, sighing, searching for a way to let down his closest friend, right after Nino, that is.

"Come on, kid. Its easy. Just get her roses."

He looked up. "I told you Plagg, I can't give her roses. She'd think I was accepting her. And I'm not. I love Ladybug."

"I mean yellow roses. They mean friendship. You're her friend, aren't you?"

"I... But she doesn't know that!"

"Then put a letter in them saying what they mean. She didn't say it to your face, did she? So you don't have to either."

"I..." He sighed. It was one of the better plans that the kwami had come up with, and it was better than anything he had come up with. "Should I order them now?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two is released! The letter was a bit hard to write, and I know it's longer than the last one (almost double the size wow), but thank you if you're reading it! It makes me happy to know people like what I write!


	3. Delay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Marinette heads out to get roses, an akuma appears. Adrien is still affected by Marinette's letter, and ends up acting strangely for more than just that reason.

As Marinette and Adrien looked for roses for two separate yet joined reasons, someone else having love-trouble was found by a glowing black butterfly, who found its way into the ring in the boy's hand, which now glowed the same color as the insect. A mask of purple and a mutter of agreement to some unseeable enemy about the heroic pair rang through the empty house, and the black magic covered his body, transforming him into Shame. He leapt out of his alley window, immediately out of sight from the public.

But not for long.

\---

As the blue-haired girl spotted the small flower shop at the end of a road, a scream was heard from the other end of the city. Everyone's heads looked up to the direction of the sound, making it easy to know where it came from. Since everyone was turned away, she slipped into an alley and transformed quickly, jumping to action within seconds.

Moments later, a black cat with a silver baton and green eyes jumped up, saluting her. "Afternoon, m'lady. Any idea on what the alums is?"

"No clue. But it caught me at a bad time."

"May I ask what you were doing?"

She smirked. "I was about to get roses for someone special. I was standing right outside the shop."

His heart sank at the words, but he tried to cover up his sorrow. "Oh, I see. Well, we should focus on the akuma." He turned his head to the front.

Confused on his reaction, she looked up front as well, the akuma coming into view. He had black hair and a dark suit on with silver lined gloves, and it seemed the lining was coming off and going to people's fingers, where they coiled into rings which then glowed bright red, leaving the victim spouting secret after shameful secret.

Her eye caught onto another ring on a finger that was out of place, and shaped like a blooming flower. It looked new, and didn't match with the rest of his outfit.

"Chat, the akuma is probably in his ring. Do you think you can distract him as I work out a plan?"

He nodded slowly, without a pun, and only leapt away.

She watched him in confusion for a moment more before looking back at the ground for a solution. 

Not knowing what else to do, she throws her weapon in the air, catching a wide and simple but sturdy picture frame. "Hmm.." she looked around quickly, looking at chat's baton, back to the frame, and spottig a flagpole. An idea clicked, and she smirked lightly, jumping down from the roof she was on.

"Hey, what's-your-face! Over here!" she shouted, drawing his attention away from chat, who was circling him annoyingly.

"It's Shame! And you will tell me all your secrets, and every lie you've ever told!" he threw a strand of silver at her, narrowly missing her hand as she jumped back.

"You'll have to be better than that to catch me!" She stuck out her tongue with the soul purpose of annoying him.

It worked. But not how she wanted it to.

Be scowled, running after her and getting close enough to grab her wrist for a moment before she pulled away.

But he had got her. The red strand was around her finger.

She stopped in her tracks, desperately trying to glue her jaws shut. It only worked for a second before she couldn't stop anything more. "I-I'm in love with a boy at my school, and I confessed to him today. I went to a flower shop to get him roses, pink and wh-"

Her inability to keep quiet stopped when he started talking, and so did her inability to move. "No, I want better secrets! Like your- hey!" she jumped away as far as she could, before he caught up again. "Tell me your name!"

Words started rushing out of her mouth again, her need to speak returning. "My name is Mar-"

"CATACLYSM!!" chat shoved past Shame and pinched the red ring, pulling her away as it crumbled into ash.

She shut her jaw quickly, hitting her teeth and hoping that neither of them heard her name. "Th-thank you chat.."

"Anytime, my lady." he didn't look at her as he said it, not when he put her down.

"Chat, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He still didn't look. "So what's the plan?"

".. We get him stuck in the picture frame and hold him in place with your staff. We have to get the ring quickly then, before he puts a ring on either of us."

"Yeah, okay. I'll distract him while you make it work." He jumped to the alums without another word.

'No marriage pun? I thought I set it up well..' She shook her head. 'There's no time for that. I'll ask him after the attack is over.' She swung around, getting out of Shame's feild of vision.

\---

He heard the whole thing. Ladybug likes someone at her school. No, she's in love with someone at her school. She confessed today. She was getting roses because he must've said he would date her. He had no chance.

He cursed his luck as he leapt away from her, stopping his flirts completely, even after his bad mood from having to reject Marinette.

He pulled himself together, reminding himself that there was an alums he had to take care of. "Hey, Shame's your name, right? Isn't it a bit shameful to take people's secrets?" 'Nice, we're back in action!'

Shame grumbled, turning to glare at chat, who's tongue stuck out. Just as Ladybug hadn't done too well, he leapt out of the way much better than her, Shame missing him by a mile.

"You've gotta be better than that!"

"Uugh! Come back here!!" he chased chat, completely ignorant of the red heroine jumping above, holding a frame and a flagpole in each hand.

Nonetheless, chat saw her, expelling his sorrow and missing lightly to her, changing his course so she could throw the pole.

"Where are you- GAH!" he stumbled back as the pole stabbed the grass in front of him, and chat's baton slammed very close behind, leaving him locked in place with the final addition of the spotted picture frame sliding down. 

"Let me go!" He struggled in place, not able to move much without the sides of the frame rubbing into his arms and wrists. Chat watched as Ladybug walked up and calmly took the flower ring off his finger.

"Thank you~!" She crushed it in her hand, throwing her yoyo after the black butterfly that flew out. She lifted the frame over the de-akumatized boy's head, throwing it into the air promptly.

She turned to him, fist out as the ladybugs flew around them in swarms. "Bien joue!" She grinned at him.

After a moment, he copied her smile, bumping his fist against hers. "Bien joue, Ladybug."

Her miraculous beeped suddenly, the third spot disappearing. "I guess that means I have to go now." She turned away, pausing before turning back. "Are you really okay? You barely cracked a smile the whole time."

She cared about him. She cared about him. But she still liked someone else. He smiled at her concern. "Just because I don't crack smiled doesn't mean I'm not okay. Besides, I'll always find a way to crack you up, bugaboo."

She giggled as his miraculous beeped, the second pad disappearing off of his. "Looks like neither of us have much time left, kitty. See you on patrol tomorrow?"

"Of course. I might be bad luck, but I'm not irresponsible." He winked.

A beeping came from her again. Only one minute left. "I guess I have to trust you then. Bug out!" She handed him the ring before swinging away, seeming to try to get somewhere before her time ran out.

Probably the flower shop.

He looked down at the fake flower in the center of his palm before turning to the boy on the ground. "Here. This is yours, right?"

"Oh, y-yeah, it is, isn't it.." he took it sadly in his hands.

".. It's not supposed to be yours, is it?"

He paused before answering to the black clad superhero. ".. I got it for my crush. She laughed at me with her friends. It doesn't belong to anyone..."

"Well, how about you keep it for someone better than her, someone who likes you back. You can give it to them." He patted the boy's back as he smiled back at him.

"Thank you, Chat Noir. I'll keep that in mind."

His miraculous beeped again, drawing back his extended hand. "I guess that's my signal. Find someone worth loving, okay?" He started walking away.

"I will!" The boy stood up, walking in the other direction, holding the ring close. Chat jumped off, angry at his hypocritism.

'If only I followed my own advice..'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was such a difficult chapter. Especially since I hadn't planned out the akuma all that much. It's mostly side stuff, so I wasn't too inspired to write anything. Luckily, once it started picking up, I wrote normally, and as you can tell, a lot more than usual. Thanks for reading my really, really long chapter, and have a nice day!


	4. Bouquets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two get their roses, and Marinette learns a few interesting facts.

Ladybug quickly ran across the rooftops, stumbling silently into the alley she disappeared in. She peeked out for anyone watching before stepping into the crowd, blending in to get to the flower shop just across the street.

Slipping inside, she smelled the beautiful aroma of flowers everywhere around her. She inhaled deeply, taking in every second of being in that shop.

"May I help you, ma'am?"

She turned to look at a young brunet man with a green apron on, holding a bunch of yellow roses, wraping a golden ribbon around the stems.

"Oh! I-um, the shop smells amazing! I'm sorry for just smelling.."

He chuckled. "Its perfectly fine. And perfectly normal. We are a great flower shop, after all." He gestured to the wall of thank-you cards to her right, all from customers.

"Well, that's why I'm here. Can you put together a bouquet of pink and white roses for me?"

"Of course. Would you like more pink, white, or an equal mix?"

"More pink, please." She smiled.

He grinned back. "I'll get them right away. You can sit over there, if you'd like to." He placed down the yellow bouquet, then nodded to a few chairs near the wall of thank-you's, where she walked over to and sat down.

"Do you know what each rose represents?"

"What? No, I don't, really."

"Well, your roses, pink roses," he picked out 8 fresh pink roses. "They represent admiration and poetic romance, as well as grace and gentleness."

"They do?" she laughed. "I'm not exactly graceful."

"But in sure you're very gentle, and you must admire whoever you're giving these to."

"Yes, I do." She smiled to herself, blushing lightly.

He plucked out some white roses. "These symbolize innocence, or purity. They used to mean true love, which is now associated with red roses. They're now commonly known as bridal roses." he glanced back to the other golden bouquet. "Yellow roses symbolize friendship and warmth. Very different than your choice."

"Who ordered the yellow bouquet?"

"Due to workplace policies, I'm not allowed to tell you. Just in case it ruins a surprise. It doesn't make sense, but it's our rules."

"Oh. That's a bit dissapointing, but I guess it makes sense. I probably don't know them anyway." Marinette shrugged.

He smiled, organizing the flowers in his hand. "What type of ribbon would you like?"

She tapped her chin. "How about red?"

"Good choice." He walked over to a drawer, pulling out a deep-red ribbon, tying it around the stems in a bow. He then handed it to her with a gentle but flirty bow. "For you, your majesty. You're welcome to come back whenever you'd like."

She snickered, taking the flowers. "You remind me of a certain cat."

"Do I now?" He grinned, tapping his nametag. "Louis Deboi. You can come here to talk whenever you want. I'm almost always free to talk." he winked.

"I might hold you to that offer." she stood up, heading out the door.

"I wouldn't mind of you did. We don't get many frequenters your age."

"Oh, wair! I have to pay you!" she turned back around quickly, reading into her bag.

"Don't worry, it's on the house."

"Are yee-I mean.. Are you sure?"

"Of course. But any next bunch you get definitely won't be. We need to make a profit." he grinned.

"Louis, is that yellow bouquet ready?" A feminine voice sounded from the back area.

"Yep, you can deliver it now!" he lifted the flowers off the table, straightening out a leaf before handing it to a pony-tailed ginger, who walked out just then.

"Thanks. Well, I guess I'm going!" she headed out the door, stopping next to marinette, glancing between her flowers and her face. "Very pretty."

"Oh, thank you, but Louis put them togeth-"

"That's not what I meant." She winked, before stepping out.

Her face flushed the color of the ribbon in her hands, and she heard a light giggle from her bag. "I-I um.. Wh-what?"

Louis sighed. "That was Emmy. She's a flirt."

"I-it's not like I don't know them, But that was..."

Direct? Blunt? I can agree." he nodded. "But you'd better get going. Wouldn't want the roses to wilt."

"Yes! Right! Have a nice day!" she stumbled out the door, rushing home slow enough to not ruin the flowers.

\---

Sitting in his room, Adrien watched a sleeping Plagg laying on a now empty camembert plate.

He suspected the flowers would be there soon, so he headed downstairs, luckily avoiding Nathalie and his father successfully. Slipping outside, he spotted a ginger walking up, confused, and about to press the doorbell.

"Wait!!" he ran up to the gate, catching her attention.

"So it was you who ordered them, pretty boy!"

"W-wait what?"

"Aren't you called pretty? You're a teen model, after all."

"Well, yeah, but that's a strange greeting," he pointed out.

"So is shouting "wait!"," she countered.

".. I guess that makes sense.." He opened the gate so she could hand him the bouquet. "Thanks."

"No problem. It's my job, after all." She bowed lightly, then turned away to go back to the shop.

He looked at the delicate flowers in his hands. They shined brightly in the sunlight, looking warm and welcoming. But not romantic. They were perfect.

Well, at least hopefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fhycgjgkxhdlh. I'm getting feels just writing this. I feel sorry for you guys who don't know what will happen. Or maybe it's good that you don't know? Anyways, the girl's nice, and not related to Nathanael. The boy's pretty nice too, don't you think? Haha
> 
> Sorry about making them meet some original characters. I needed her to meet people at the shop. It's also a lot shorter than the last one, so sorry if you like long stories or something.


	5. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette are told an old story from their kwamis, and Adrien is faced with an undesirable possibility about their situation.

Marinette skipped up the stairs, gently placing the flowers in their prepared vase, which she had moved to her room. Tikki flew out of her bag, gently adjusting a petal here and a leaf there.

"They're so pretty! He'll love them!" She gazed joyfully at them.

"Of course he will, Marinette! They're wonderful, and from your heart. I couldn't think of a better gift."

She giggled. "You came up with it."

"And you went with it," she countered.

"I guess you're right. But just this once." She grinned, poking the little God gently as she giggled, floating back a bit.

"Marinette~! We're having dumplings for dinner!"

"Tikki! Dumplings! I'll save one for you, maman's dumplings are the best! Could you watch the flowers for me? Thank you!" Marinette skipped off, mumbling a little song about dumplings as Tikki settled next to the flowers, enjoying how happy her chosen was.

Surely, this ladybug's story won't be affected by love as much as the others have been.

Or how little..

Tikki set herself down, trying to shake the memory from her.

\---

Adrian walked back into his room to see that Plagg hadn't moved from his spot. He sighed, gently laying the bouquet on his desk, calling for a vase to be delivered to his room. He looked back over at Plagg. "How do you know what a yellow rose means?"

To his surprise, the black god peeked open an eye, clearly speaking something that seemed rehearsed. "The black cat has had to reject many in his days, and the yellow rose has been the go-to for such occasions. The last weilder used them, as did the one before."

"I - um - w-wow. I uhh.. didn't know you were awake."

"I can be awake whenever I want. Besides, I woke up when you opened your door. It was idiotic to leave me behind. What would happen if there was another akuma?"

".. You aren't acting like yourself..."

"And you aren't acting like yourself. One person has to be sensible at all times. Now don't leave me behind again. You could regret it."

"... Are you okay? Is this a cheese withdrawal? Are you sick? Do you need something to eat?" He knelt down in front of the tiny cat.

"I don't need it, but camembert would be greatly appreciated~!" He gave a sly grin.

"Okay, you're fine." He stood back up, dismissing Plagg's groan of displeasure. At the same time, he heard a knock on his door, telling him that the vase was ready and right outside. He picked the flowers back up, quickly racing to the door and thanking the woman outside before closing the door again. "So, it's like a tradition to reject people with yellow roses?"

"You could say that, but Not every cat took my advice. Some who didn't should have. They got in some bad situations," he said, shivering at an unseen memory.

"So.." Adrien said, thinking. ".. with hawkmoth now, the best choice is to follow your advice, so she's not akumatized?"

He sat upright, a thought seeming to strike him suddenly. "You would say she's optimistic, right? She won't get too sad or depressed? She'll be fine?"

".. Plagg, you're scaring me.."

"Adrien," he flew up to his face, staring right through him. "You don't want to fight Marinette, right? That would be terrible?"

"Of course it would be terrible! Are you saying she might be?"

He tapped his chin. "The overly optimistic ones always seemed fine, but the kittens never saw how they were alone. You need to let her down as easily as possible, okay?"

"Plagg, why are you so worried? Sure, it would be terrible, but this is out of character. .. Did something happen before? With a rejection?"

"No, not a rejection, but a friend nonetheless. A Ladybug turned bad, and that Chat Noir wasn't in love with them, but still couldn't... Never mention it to Tikki, she's still not completely over it."

Adrien held his breath. ".. What happened?"

"That chat almost died because he couldn't hurt that Ladybug. But they didn't care about him. Sometimes the pairings aren't perfect." He landed himself on the desk, poking his empty camembert bin.

".. Should I get more?"

He shook his head, deciding to curl up in the circular container. Adrien set the roses in the vase, put it down, and left Plagg in the silence he seemed to need. At that time, he set himself to looking for ways to hurt Marinette the least.

\---

After a nice relaxing dinner with her parents, Marinette headed upstairs with  two extra dumplings hidden in her bag, just for her wonderful Tikki. Closing the trapdoor under her, she opened the bag, revealing the delicious smell of her mother's home cooking. "Tikki~! I got you two, just because they were so great!" seeing the little kwami curled up, she took a few steps forward, holding the dumplings out as if they were an offering. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh! Oh, no, no! I'm fine! Just.. Remembering an old Ladybug..."

She smiled down to Tikki, sitting in her desk chair. "What were they like?"

Tikki thought thouroughly. "Well, first off, brave, strong, and unafraid of everything. They weren't someone who took things lightly, which was the opposite of chat at that time." She smiled fondly. "They were inventive, powerful, smart... But they lacked kindness and compassion. They didn't care about anything but keeping or gaining power." Her face fell.

".. You don't have to say anymore. It.. Sounds like you cared about them. A lot."

She smiled up at her weilder. "I might've been the only thing they really cared about. The only time I saw them cry was when I went missing, and they found me after a week of being lost. They held me tightly... It hurt." She giggled, which made Marinette laugh with her. "They could do great things if they wanted to..."

".. What happened?" she wearily asked.

Tikki took a deep breath before replying. "They... After their battle with Chat Noir, him having to get help from the moth miraculous, the entire civilization was destroyed. Historians and archaeologists haven't found out about it yet, but if they have, they must've thought it was a trash ground for other countries. Nooroo, Plagg, and I barely made it out. Plagg's owner had the hardest time leaving, because he cared about that Ladybug, and didn't want to admit that we had to leave them. He didn't transform until I had my owner for a year. It was a rare time we let the weilders know each other."

Marinette didn't move for a full minute, absorbing the history she was told. When she finally spoke again, it was quiet and fragile, like one wrong move would make her scream. "Would you like your dumplings?"

Tikki smiled widely, resting on her shoulder. "I would like that a lot. Thank you."

She brought a bundle of meat to Tikki's little nub hands, smiling as the God happily ate the surprisingly sweet dinner. 

\---

A knock on his door brought Adrien back to reality, and he looked over to Plagg, who was still in the cheese bin. He hid him behind the computer, and opened the door to see his scowling father waiting impatiently.

"Fa-father! I didn't expect you.."

"Adrien," he said coldly. "Why did you order roses? And yellow, too."

"Well, you see, my friend, Marinette, she.. Umm... Confessed to me, and I'm, uh, I'm trying to let her down easy..?"

"You realise that if she doesn't understand your gesture, she will think you're accepting her. Many people don't like models who are taken."

"I realise that.. But it won't happen. I'm not going to just give them to her and leave. I'll explain myself, and she'll understand." He tried reassuring his father, only to find an unconvinced shrug from him.

"Tomorrow, you are to let her alone, and don't let her ruin your image." He stepped out, his footsteps loud in the otherwise empty hallway.

Adrien shut his door, mumbling to himself how his father only cared about how his son's image reflects on him. He threw himself on his bed, groaning into a pillow as Plagg finally got up, flying to his aid.

"You've got two missions now, kid. Make sure she's happy, and don't ruin your father's reputation. Are you sure you can handle it?"

He rolled on his back, looking at Plagg's face. "Yes Plagg, I can do this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here's some kwami flashbacks. Honestly, I didn't plan them, but I think they turned out well! And.. They contribute to the story a bit.. Just like Louis... Except he contributes a bit more than these... Hehehe... I love suspense... A lot.
> 
> But anyway, sorry about the delay. The story seemed to slow down, and I didn't know what to write, thinking everything would be terrible. But here I am! Back with more! And hopefully it's not junk!


	6. "Sorry"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day comes, and it doesn't go as expected for either.

Marinette, for once, woke up early. She was wide awake, brushing her hair with delicacy, choosing her clothes (a flowery sundress) with care, and actually are a good breakfast (of course, sneaking Tikki a bite). Even with all that used time, and needing to safely carry the roses with her, she made it to class before anyone else. She set down the vase, simple but elegant, and sat down, thinking of what Adrien would say to her.

\---

Adrien was having the opposite luck. Yes, he woke up early, but that was because he was up 2 hours before school started. He made sure to hide his grogginess and anxiety for the upcoming day with a well rehersed smile. Plagg didn't ask for any cheese, and instead rooted for him to keep her unakumatizable. He gave it to him anyway, hearing a small rumble it the god's stomache (he hadn't eaten much since remembering the "Unfriendly Ladybug" incident). He arrived at school before Nino, or really many, many other people, which was good. Who knows how people would take a famous model walking into school with a bunch of yellow roses.

He stepped into class to find a perky Marinette sitting alone.

With a vase full of pink and white flowers.

No, roses. With a red ribbon around their center.

He watched her eyes catch the yellow bouquet in his hands, and saw her smile fall.

This was not going well, and he was 3 seconds in.

Crud.

\---

She sat up straight when she saw the boy with golden hair walk into the room before anyone else. She smiled widely, only for her eyes to fall on a certain bunch of yellow roses in his hand, tied together with a golden ribbon.

Roses she recognized from the flower store.

Words echoed in her head. 'Yellow roses symbolize friendship and warmth. Very different than your choice,' the words spoken from Louis, who was very knowledgeable about flowers and their meanings.

He was the one who ordered them. He decided to reject her at the same time she went to get him a gift.

'Wait, wait,' her mind ordered. 'He might not know what they mean. He might think that yellow is a wonderful color to give me.'

Her reassurance was unrewarding.

"I- um.. S-sorry, Marinette. I, ah..."

The small sliver of hope remaining left her heart.

\---

"I- um.. S-sorry, Marinette. I, ah..."

'What?! You practiced this!' he cleared his throat. "I.. Read your letter. It was really sweet, kind, and thoughtful, and it really meant a lot to me. I realize that you like me a lot, and this has deeply changed how I view things."

He tore his eyes off the ground, forcing himself to look at her face, which was void of any emotion except saddness. That's not good.

"Wh-what I mean to say is, you.. You're a wonderful, smart, creative, witty, intriguing girl, and I would most definitely like you if... If I didn't already like someone else. I'm.. I'm sorry. I really am. You should fall in love with someone who can get over someone like.. Like who I like, and have you instead. Someone who actually likes them." His eyes dropped again, and he held out the flowers, scared to see what expression she held. "Could we... Could we stay friends? Please?"

After a moment, a gentle tug on the roses told him that she had taken the flowers. While looking back up, a different bouquet was in his hands now, and he looked at her, confused.

She held the other halves of their flowers in her hands, gently putting them into her vase. A beautiful mixture of half yellow roses surrounding an array of white and pink roses. "I-I think.. I'm pretty sure I can see you as a friend. I can get rid of my... other emotions." She looked up at him, smiling. "Maybe I can find someone that can like me the way I like them."

He felt relieved. It went great. A bit rocky at first, but overall wonderful. He sat down in front of her, leaning back in serenity, holding the new bouquet close.

\---

She didn't know why she did it. Pink showed admiration, white innocence, and yellow.. Friendship. They could match in a different sense, for different people, but not for her.

But they obviously matched for him. He loved them. He was staring into them, seemingly in a trance. She liked that he leaned back, feeling comfortable enough to do so. But she didn't like when Juleka walked in with Rose, who seemed to unlink their arms at the same time Adrien sat up straight and normally in his seat.

"Good-good morning! Would you two like a flower? One each?" Marinette watched as he pulled out a pair of yellow and pink flowers, handing them to Rose.

She looked at them before tucking the yellow one behind her ear, and pushing Juleka's hair back to put the pink rose in its place. Before going to their seats, they sent a warm smile to Marinette, who returned their smile as nicely as possible.

As more people came into class, she found it easier and easier to shove her emotions on Adrien deeper into her mind, where she would confront them head-on later. When she wasn't surrounded by her classmates. Including Adrien, who could not see how she felt.

\---

He calmly tapped his pen against his desk, not focusing on the lesson, but instead his relief on how the confrontation went. She looked a bit bad at first, but smiled at the end, and even split their flowers in half. 'I'm glad it's over..' he smiled, which confused both Alya and Nino, who were trying to figure out what happened between the pair by note-passing and interrogations.

Once class was over, he asked Marinette if he could eat with her, but she declined, saying she needed to... Wash her designs? It made a bit of sense, but he still raised an eyebrow as she scurried home.

Weren't they past embarrassment?

\---

Luckily, her parents were busy in the bakery and didn't see her running to her room. She flung herself face-down on her couch, careful not to crush Tikki, who then flew out of her bag.

"You did great! He said that he could like you back! Isn't that considered a victory?"

She got a muffled groan in reply.

"Marinette, why did you run home?"

"I need somewhere to breathe.." Tikki could barely make out those words.

She sighed and flew over to Marinette's dresser, where she had made a mini room for the kwami, which had a storage of snacks in case Marinette had company over for a long time. "You can breathe perfectly fine at school. And you were doing well with Adrien! He was so comfortable around you!"

"Too comfortable!" She rolled onto her back. "After someone says that they've loved you for a while, shouldn't you feel a little awkward? Shouldn't he feel uncomfortable around me? It's just... so weird!" She let out a sigh of her own. "He shouldn't feel normal around me when I feel anything but normal around him..."

"Marinette..." She flew back over to her, a bit of chocolate chip cookie in her hands. "He might not feel normal around you. What if he's just trying to act normal so you feel better?"

"If it is, it's not working well..." She mumbled, tapping the top of the bug's head. "I don't think that's what he's thinking. But thank you anyway, Tikki." She smiled, sitting up.

"Well, you told him you were going to wash some designs, and that would take a bit. What will you do while you're here?"

"Oh. I guess... I'll help Maman and Papa in the bakery while they work on making everything?"

"So, you'll be taking orders, where there's the least chance your clumsiness will get in the way?"

"When you put it like that, it sounds like I can't stay on my own two feet," She huffed.

"That's not what I'm saying. I'm just translating."

She grinned a bit. "Well, as wrong as your translation is, you got one thing right. I'll be taking the orders."

"Then what are you doing up here? Go help them!" She zipped into the bag as Marinette clasped it over her and headed downstairs.

She wouldn't want to admit this, but she wasn't feeling too much better about her whole Adrien situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was a quick written chapter! Well, compared to the last one... Sorry for that again.
> 
> And Rose x Juleka is one of my favorite side ships, platonic or not, so I had to include it somewhere. So... Yeah.
> 
> Words of the day: confront, confuse
> 
> And I used this nice site called fighters block to get past the last part! It's really cute and easy to use, and I recommend it for anyone who struggles with writers block!


	7. Cookie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette tries getting over her rejection, and kinda fails.

"Are you sure? You should go back to school soon."

"I'm fine, maman. I'm not that clumsy. I made it to school early this morning." Marinette positioned herself behind the counter, smiling to the waiting customer.

"If you say so." Sabine smiled as she walked away.

She turned to the customer and handled their change, before giving them their bag and watching them leave.

As they left, a certain messy-haired blond walked in, a delicate bouquet of various flowers in his hands, which she couldn't tell if they fit together or not.

"Oh, Louis! How are you?"

"Oh! Hello! I'm doing very well, thank you. What about you?"

"Ah, I could be better."

"Could these flowers cheer you up?" He grinned.

"Wait, they're for me?"

"Of course." He pulled out a striking yellow rose with his right hand, tucking it behind her ear. He then proceeded to hand her the entire bunch. "A beautiful bouquet for a wonderful woman."

"Aww, thank you! But this doesn't count as me buying them, does it?"

He chuckled. "No, I bought them. To congratulate. Or console. Whichever was needed."

"Do you do this with everyone?"

"Not many people confess with flowers. You're a nice, rare case." He smiled.

"Well, thank you again, but I have to be back at school in a bit, so I can't talk about it now. Maybe after school?"

"I'm always free for a fair maiden in need." He bowed lightly. "I'll be here later, don't worry." He looked up, smiling.

"So, Louis, are the flowers the only reason you're here, or are you buying something too?"

"I came here once I realized that you're a Dupain-Cheng, so this might be a surprise, but I came for a cookie."

She giggled. "It's not much of a surprise. What would you like?"

"What do you suggest?" He grinned.

"I think that a simple strawberry cookie would be nice. Maman decorated a few with flowery orange frosting. Would you like one?"

"That would be perfect. How much?"

"Free. Consider it a favor for the flowers." She walked through the door, coming out a moment later with a small tray of frosted cookies. Then, she started placing them into one of their bakery boxes for frosted or fragile treats.

"Oh no, I can't-"

"Yes you can." She placed them in his arms. "You are right now. Besides, they were made for me, so I can do whatever I want with them."

"Are you... Are you sure?"

"Absolutely! I have to repay you somehow." She grinned.

"For the flowers? I did that because I wanted to."

"Then I want to give you these. Just take them!" She pushed him gently.

He sighed, smiling back to her. "If her majesty wishes it, then I shall take these delicacies with no dent in my financial account."

"Her majesty does wish that, and she also needs to address the other customer in line. So, would you be so kind as to come back later?" she giggled.

"Anything for you." he grinned, bowing gently and starting to leave.

"... Remember! Right after school!"

"I would never forget!" he turned back to smile before closing the door behind him.

The lady stepped up, smiling. "So, who was he? I haven't seen him around."

"Just a friend. And a flowery one at that. What would you like?"

"My aunt is visiting the weekend, and her favorite sweet is your sugar cookies. Could I have 15?"

"Right away, Madame," she said gleefully. She walked over to the display case and pulled them out, piling them on too of each other in a small paper bag.

"You know, boys usually don't call girls "her majesty" for no reason."

She paused, before straightening up again, taking the money from the slight fequenter of a customer in exchange for the bag. "What do you mean?"

"Well, call it intuition from a nosy woman if you will, but I have a feeling he likes you." she smiled warmly.

"What? He knows I like someone. It's the reason I met him."

"That only stops the faint of heart. My husband knew I liked a boy in our camp when we met. Did that stop him from loving me?" She indicated the hidden message. "I'm not saying that you like him, but in no way am I denying the reverse."

Marinette paused to stare at the woman, who only smiled in return.

"Well, I'll leave you to think about it. When did you meet him?"

"Yesterday," she replied, her mind far from the bakery counter.

"Oh my, love at first sight?" She started waking out, a grin refusing to leave her lips.

"Maybe not..." she muttered to no one in particular.

'Could he be..?'

She didn't dare finish the thought.

\---

Marinette gathered her materials once the final bell sounded, realizing she absorbed none of the lecture. She didn't even think of Adrien that much, the other subject far more delicate and intriguing.

Throwing her backpack over her shoulders and picking up her vase, she walked out of the classroom, unaccompanied by Alya, who decided to not interfere with her best friend's thoughts.

Which, of course, were currently spiraling out of control. She didn't know how to feel about anything going on between her and Adrien, let alone with Louis. Anything she told herself to deny the thoughts that woman unintentionally put in her head were weak or had a stronger counter claim. She tried shaking them out, but to no avail.

She sighed, starting Her short trek home, and saw he was already waiting outside. He waved.

"Hello, Marinette!"

She smiled, and noticed his gaze fell on her vase. His face morfed into something of concern and.. Something else she couldn't place.

"Ah, hey." she walked up to him.

"You.. Said you wanted to talk?"

"Yeah. We can go to my room, or just the living room, if you're uncomfortable."

"I couldn't be uncomfortable around you, but the living room is fine."

She smiled, walking past him and checking to make sure he was following. She opened the back door before long, and held it open for him.

"Thank you." he smiled back and walked through the door, heading up the stairs. She followed closely behind, and once they were up, she put her vase down and went to the kitchen area, pulling out a tray of croissants.

"Here. Have some."

"No, I couldn't. I've already taken your cookies." he waved his hand dismissively, pulling the rest of the box into view for her to see.

She shrugged and put the tray down, walking away to sit on the couch.

"So.. Your flowers are different," he pointed out.

"Yeah... He was your other customer.."

"Adrien?"

"Yeah..." there was a small choking sound heard from the back of her throat.

He sat there, awkwardly biting his lip and tapping his fingers. "Would you like a cookie?" he offered weakly.

She nodded, and he took her hand, placing a cookie in her palm. She raised it to her lips, where she took a meek and small nite of it, before lowering her hand again.

"... I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"I know, but... He.. R-rejected you.."

The word stung, but she knew it was true. She took a deep breath in, and let it out slowly. "Yeah, he did. But we're still friends, so it's okay."

He sat still for a moment, before getting up and picking a yellow flower out of her mixed bouquet. He walked over to her, tucking it behind her ear. "Perfect."

"What's that for?"

"You should show your acceptance of his friendship by showing what brought you two together."

She chuckled lightly. "Then, I'd have to carry an umbrella around with me all the time."

He shrugged. "You still look nice with it in your hair."

She smiled weakly. "That sounds like something he would say.." she sniffed lightly.

He stiffened up, watching as a year slipped down her cheek. "I..." he could barely say anything, but knew he should stay out of it.

"It's fine. Y-you can go. You don't have to stay here."

He still didn't move, which made her feel a bit better. She felt an arm wrap around her, and she looked up at him.

"My.. My sister has a habit of crying a lot. I comfort her at the worst times like this. I hope you don't mind..?"

She nodded lightly and dropped her head again, looking at the cookie in her hand. She took another bite, but she couldn't taste it. She kept sniffling, feeling hot tears slip down her face and into her wrists.

Until, seconds later, she felt nothing in her at all except regret and hatred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goodbye, my world. I had way too many missing assignments, and the quarter ended already. It's almost CHRISTMAS and I have gifts for about 0 people. And, to top it all off, I have a survey I have to do over the break. A survey. My life is the opposite of "together", just like Adrien and Marinette in the story. Ha. Haha.
> 
> If anyone thinks I should try a special christmas chapter out of the plot, I'm more than willing to do something. But I'm not just going to write it, so please say something if you want it.
> 
> And I'm sooooo sorry about the delay in writing this. I seriously am, and I really just want to apologize. I'm so sorry.
> 
> I also have a really sketchy, really terrible picture of Louis drawn. I'll show it if it interests anyone. (I could also throw in a picture of his other siblings if anyone wants to see them all) Seriously, it's so hard drawing on a phone with your finger.


	8. Rosalie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hawkmoth finds another victim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me if I have spelling mistakes. I'll fix them.

He didn't know what happened. He simply had his arms around her, feeling her lightly shake until she wasn't. He guessed that she had calmed down, but it was a bit fast. Then again, she had a habit of hiding her saddness.

It was only until her arms moved to her ears that he looked down at her. Her head was down, but if he wasn't mistaken, there was a faint purple glow coming off her cheeks, and he had heard a small muffled yelp from somewhere around her. That was fake, right? Just a sign that he hasn't been home enough?

Then, she looked up, eliminating his suspicions. A purple mask surrounded her eyes, reflecting her deeply hidden anger and spite. He'd only heard about it from rumors, which he was sure were wrong until then. A sickeningly sweet smile with only the smallest trace of saddness crossed her face, and she held her hand out to him. In her palm rested two red earrings, 5 black dots decorating them.

"Would you hold onto these for me?"

\---

Just moments before, the window in a dark lair opened, sending many white butterflies into the air. A purple suited villain chuckled maniacally, having seen a broken-down girl cradled in a tan blond's arms.

"Ah, rejected by the very one she believed loved her. Such A tragic tale, but such a wonderful target for my akuma.." a white butterfly landed in his palm, and he cupped his hand over it, summoning a black and purple substance to cover it. Once he released it, it has changed to radiate the colors it was given, and it flew off through the window, knowing exactly where to go.

"Fly away, my little akuma, and let her show the truth that is love!" he cackled, watching as his creation slipped into the girls room and dissolved delicately on the rose in her hair.

The mask appeared over her features, and a scowl shown in her eyes.

"Hello, my dear Rosalie, I am Hawkmoth. I will give you the power to everything you feel to every ignorant soul. In exchange, I only want 2 things." he stopped talking when her lips stretched into a smirk, and she reached for her ears. Or more specifically, her earrings, that once she popped out, quite obviously resembled item 1.

He grinned widely. "Why, Ladybug, what a kind girl you are." her smile changed as she looked up, saying only 7 words to the one with her.

"Would you hold onto these for me?"

His smile only grew as he took them while she stood straight, but it wavered as her transformation was controlled by herself. Her dress, unthought of by him, seemed delicate and blurry, but was quite definite and strong with closer inspection. It blurred many things around it as well, including her pink glove, and it looked just like a giant, upside-down red rose, layers shaped into petals as it flowed down. Her eyes shined a dark red, the very opposite of her usual blue-bell sapphires.

The flower in her hair, now radiating a dark color, even with its vibrant yellow underneath, bended itself, raising to the part in her hair as aq clip, said hair slipping out of its previous pigtails. There were no sleeves on the dress, and somehow it glowed a lovely pink color, at the same time as taking the color from everything around it. He was amazed by  her ability to make such a fabulous dress on a whim, but quickly remembered how she had easily won one of his competitions and while back.

"What a lovely sight. I wish I had someone as beautiful as you as my flower girl."

She giggled coldly. "Why thank you~!" He saw her turn to the boy, who sat shocked and holding the previous earrings. "Hmm.. What would you say? A white rose?" she grinned wickedly, throwing her gloves hand at him. Instantly, vines sprouted from the window and encased him in a spherical prison, buds blooming into milky-white roses around him.

"I'll need you to tell me the meaning of some flowers. Are you good with that?"

He shakily nodded, settling on the ground of his space, holding the earrings close to him.

"Wonderful job, Rosalie. Now, go find Chat Noir!"

\---

Adrien, who finally got alone in his room, was laying on his bed face first. Yes, Marinette was rejected, and nothing bad happened, but she still seemed a little bit off.

He wanted to visit her. But, of course, as chat. What would he say though? "Oh, hey princess! I was out to get some fresh air, and I saw your balcony! Hope you don't mind me staying here for a bit~" Yes, that's great.

He stood up and looked at Plagg, punching the air as he shouted his usual phrase. Not even a second later, he bolted out the window, heading directly to her house.

To his dismay, he had no time to get her, as he saw a poor couple surrounded by petunia vines. He quickly jumped down to them.

"What happened?"

The girl spoke. "W-we were just walking in the park, when a girl held up by all these vines showed up and looked really angry at us. She pointed over here, and before we knew it, we were trapped.."

The boy nodded, his arms holding the girl close to him.

"Do yu remember anything else about her? What she looked like, her hairstyle, anything?"

The boy spoke. "Her dress looked like a rose, and she was carrying a bit with her. His.. Um.. Cage, was made of white roses."

Chat nodded. "Thank you. Do you think you can get out?"

"If we try, I'm sure we can."

"Great, because I have to go now and find this girl." he extended his staff. "Thank you!" He shouted as he ran off.

Not too far away, he saw the described girl seemingly floating in mid-air with a white and green ball next to her. He jumped in front of her, baton held threateningly. "Put the poor boy down!"

"What?!" she yelled in shock, throwing a look at the prickly carriage. "You're not chat?!"

".. No?" He said meekly, and chat looked on to them, utterly confused.

"You thought that I was him?"

"Well, yeah! You call me "princess", he calls me "her majesty", you-"

"Wait, wait, wait." he held his hands up, and looked into her gleaming eyes. ".. Marinette?"

"NO! I'm Rosalie! Not Marinette, Rosalie!" she threw her hand at him, catching a glimpse of very small seeds, which he dodged, and watched a thorn bush grow in seconds where he was standing before. He looked back at her, her horrifying eyes glaring daggers into his own. He shivered, realising that no, he didn't reject her well. He failed, and now he made this akuma possible.

His eyes flitted to the yellow flower resting in her hair. His flower. It was surrounded by black, but he knew she could've only gotten it from him.

"M-Marinette, I'm sorry.."

She stopped for a moment before a wicked smile greeted him. "Why in the world would you be sorry, kitty? The one who did this to me is nothing like you."

".. What's he like?" 'Distract her. Keep her busy while Ladybug gets here.'

She chuckled coldly. "Oh, you know, he doesn't spout puns, he keeps his hair tidy, and he broke my heart with a single bouquet. I had to pretend I was fine until I got home so I could cry alone. Luckily.." she snickered, and her voice stopped shaking. "Hawkmoth found me and gave me my powers. Unluckily, I thought he was chat, due to his flirts and messy hair, but I still need him to tell me what some flowers mean." she looked over at the boy and grinned.

"I get the feeling you know him. Who is he?"

"Louis. Louis Deboi."

"You remembered my last name?" Louis said, seemingly amazed.

"Of course I did. You figured out mine."

The purple masked appeared over her eyes, and she sighed a second later. "I don't need to give you the earrings now." the mask stayed, and chat started to panic.

'She said give. Did she already have them? But didn't she become an akuma just recently? She couldn't possibly have Ladybug's miraculous already. Right?'

"Fine, fine, yadda yadda." her eyes shot at him, and he froze under her gaze, drowning in it's fiery cold feel. Every other nerve in his body decided to melt, while the others thought they were in ice water. The mask disappeared, and The vines moved her closer.

He could finally move, and dashed away as far as he possibly could, but with no luck. She was still behind him.

The vine prison around Louis followed with her, but that wasn't what he found strange. The vines had let go of her, except for one, which kept growing to reach lampposts and rooftops, following him with precision.

It was almost as if she was using a yoyo. Ladybug's yoyo.

He risked another glance at Louis. He was definitely holding something.

He stopped, dodging as she swiped for his ring, and he trapped onto her arms in seconds, staring into her deep crimson eyes.

"M-Rosalie, are you Ladybug?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas everyone! Again, I'm sorry about the hold back with the last chapter, so I kept myself awake long enough to finish this one, then woke up early to actually get to the end! I'm still up for showing that drawing of Louis, and making a short Christmas/winter-themed mini-chapter, but I'll post it on my Miraculous One-Shots story, which I'll provide a link for.


	9. Tears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien has to make a decision.

Chat looked at her imploringly, searching for the answer to his question. 

Are you Ladybug?

She hung her head down, a chuckle brewing in her chest. Her shoulders bounced lightly, and Louis watched her in horror and sorrow. Her laughter only grew, tainting the air around them with a cold, distant feel.

She finally took a breath and looked up to him, eyes bright with cruel amusement. "Chaton, you've got something wrong. I was Ladybug. I don't have the earrings anymore, see?" she moved a tuff of hair away from her ear, showing off an empty piercing.

His eyes stung. "Why..? My lady, you love being Ladybug."

"Why? Why?" She growled. "Maybe because I was stupid enough to believe that Adrien might actually like me! That my love could be requitted instead of being this idiotic goose chase for an unatainable wonder boy! Who in the world could be good enough for the amazing Adrien? Do you know?!" Tears fluttered the corners of her eyes, but she wiped them away. "I know that Marinette is great! Even through every nasty comment thrown at me by Chloé, I knew! And of course I know Ladybug is good, but not good enough to be with Adrien of course! What did I ever expect, anyway?! That he would j-just run into my arms like we're in some magical cartoon where dreams come true?" Her fists clenched together tightly, crushing seeds in her palm, as she stared at the ground.

He felt helpless as he watched her tears fall to the roof under their feet. He wanted to reach out to her, but.. She was akumatized. She would push him away, no doubt, or attack him. She hasn't exactly let her guard down. Not in front of the enemy.

"Bugaboo, I-"

"Louis, what shows saddness?" She cut through his thought.

"Ah-... a purple hyacinth represents sorrow.."

"Thank you. I'll need it." She lifted her head, flushed cheeks stained with tears and eyes bleeding regret. She raised her hand, and he turned to run from the now charging thorn bushes. 

He ducked into an alley, hiding behind a recycling can, void of any ivy. When the bushes passed over, he sighed and detransformed.

"She was AKUMATIZED?! But she was fine! You were fine! Both of you were fine! Why did this happen?!" Plagg flew back and forth in worry.

"Plagg, did you hear her?! She thought that I liked her! Well, I do, I love her, but I loved Ladybug! I didn't know she was Ladybug!"

"That doesn't matter!" He flew into his face. "You are going to have to fight not only Marinette, but Ladybug, who, need I remind you, has beaten you many times before while you were under the control of multiple different akumas! So, for just a bit, could you please get your mind off your crush and think of a strategy to defeat this incredible threat?!"

He glared at Plagg, but knew he was right. Ladybug was the strategist, and not only that, but when it came to a fight between just them, he would surely lose. Not to mention now she has possible control over every plant in Paris.

Plagg sighed, seeing his distress. "Look kid, try imagining it like this. Ladybug can't show up, and hawkmoth only wants your miraculous because she isn't there. A very strong akuma with power over plant-life and growth is after you, and you need to not only keep your miraculous, but get an item from the boy the akuma is holding captive."

"Louis?"

"He's holding the earrings. He never opened his hands, and any normal person would want to hold onto the sides of a small, moving prison cell."

'So that's why he's with her. Well, she also said she thought he was chat, and he seems to know a lot about flowers, so that helps her powers.. No Agreste! Focus on the task at hand!' he shook his head. "So, I'm going on a rescue mission for him?"

"If you must. But that's only part one. I hate to say it, but you'll need a temporary hero. And since only Ladybug can purify the akumas..."

"But.. Shouldn't only the one's chosen for the miraculous use it?"

"Usually, but we have no choice." He crossed his paws. "It's been done only twice before, and both times were.. Difficult, to say the least."

He hesitated. "Was one of them..?"

"That doesn't matter! Tikki's done it, I've done it, it's her turn again! We just have to get her!"

"Adrien! There you are!" a familiar voice shouted in worry. Plagg's eyes widened, and he hid in Adrien's jacket. Alya ran over to his side and hugged him quickly before pulling him up. "Come on! She's probably looking for you!"

He spotted a few stray petals clinging to her clothes, not leaving out a few tears in her jacket. "What happened to you?"

"Oh, Mari kinda.. Wrapped me in yellow and pink roses.. She said something like 'you are my greatest friend Alya, and you deserve my admiration and adoration.' It's how I recognized her." She caught his falling gaze and lifted his head. "Hey, it's not your fault. I told her that you might like her, so blame me for bringing her hopes up."

"No, it's not just your fault, it's all our faults. Lets just.. Go. I need to think."

Her face scrunched in empathy, but she pulled him along, watching the coast for him as he thought.

\---

She looked around, making sure Marinette - no, Rosalie - wasn't around when she crossed the streets. Finally, she got to her house, and pulled the silent model in after her, closing the door so her family could get in if they needed. She looked at him, who still hadn't said anything.

"Adrien, what is it? I told you, you can't just blame yourself.." She patted his shoulder.

"No, it's not that.. Just..."

"Ladybug hasn't shown up yet?"

His guarded shoulders at her words was all the answer she needed.

"Adrien, she could just be busy. Chat showed up for a bit, but he had to go. He's probably looking for her." she smiled warmly to him, but it didn't seem to help.

"He f.. Probably found her already.."

It was strange, but his tone didn't seem to match his words. He seemed.. Lost. "Adrien, what's really wrong?"

"I can't.. I can't do a-anything.. Anything..." his emerald eyes glimmered with tears, and he knelt down to wipe them away.

She felt powerless. He felt powerless, based on his words. She knelt beside him, placing a gentle hand on his shaking back. "It's okay.. Let it out..."

She heard his sharp gasp, making her flinch, but no other sounds came out of him. No whimper, no sob, just silent tears falling to the ground. She wrapped her arms around him, and was returned the favor with a weak grip on her shoulders.

"I-I can't.."

"Help her?"

He shook his head. "I can do that... I can't stay here.."

"Wha- what do you mean? It's safe here, and Mar- Rosalie is looking for you! You're a target, no doubt, you have to stay here! The only people that should face akumas are Ladybug and Chat Noir!"

His eyes shot up, revealing his blotchy cheeks and red eyes. "If I stay, she'll find me here, and she'll take you too! I should go somewhere else, for your safety.."

It sounded like an excuse, and she would definitely ask him about it later, but she saw determination past the red sorrow staining his eyes. She let go, pulling him up to stand with her. "Don't get caught."

He sniffed and nodded, turning away to open the door, and away from her concerned and confused gaze. He opened the door, and she started to follow him, before hesitating and backing off, walking away holding her arms.

"He needs to be alone..."

\---

A few streets away, she spotted him: standing in the middle of the road, looking at the ground, was Adrien.

The one who made her like this.

She chuckled, raising her arm as she summoned vines of purple flowers to surround him, along with the pink, white, and yellow rose buds. His head rose, eyes widening at the stems around him and tying themselves between and around his wrists and ankles. Then, they wrapped around his legs and torso, blooming as they carried him up to her.

"Hello, Adrien. Like my dress?"

"Hi Rosalie. It's nice, but what's with the imprisonment?"

"I'm taking you to the tower!" she said cheerily. "Along with my parents and friends. Speaking of which, I should probably go back and get Alya.." She tapped her lip cutely, and she didn't miss him shaking a blush away. She felt strangely victorious.

After a moment of a seemingly inner monologue, he glanced at Louis' cage, where he was staring at the ground below, void of any hope. He then looked back at her, answering a question she didn't ask."I saw Alya. She escaped, and I don't know where she went. I checked her house, where I came from, but she wasn't there."

She looked out, a smiling scowl crossing her lips. "Of course she did. She's Alya." She giggled amusingly, turning her head to the tower. "I'll get her after putting you and Louis away."

And with that, the greenery carried them off to the tallest structure in all of Paris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter of 2018! Sorry about the wait, and the many possible spelling and grammar mistakes in the last chapter. I tried to rush it to surprise you guys, which didn't work to well... Anyway, I hope you guys like the newest chapter here! I've been planning this for a while! Thank you for reading!


	10. Tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien gets to talk to Louis.

He looked out at the streets they passed over calmly, watching helplessly as civilians backed into alleys and under benches. Some even hid crammed under cars and meekly behind lampposts. Some very few peeked out of their hiding places and found she was leaving, and helped others get over their sudden fears. He smiled lightly at the bravery of the citizens.

And then there was a fangirl scream from right where he smiled.

"HE SMILED AT ME?? HE SMILED AT ME!!!" a girl in a lilac tutu with black braids held her grinning face in her hands, jumping up and down. Rosalie stopped at her shrill voice, daggers pouring out of her eyes.

"He's not yours! He's not anyone's! He doesn't like anyone, so no one can have his attention! Especially not some braid haired girl on the street!!" she threw her arm out at the girl, small seeds landing around her and sprouting immediately through the pavement's cracks. She really screamed, ducking her head down as she was wrapped with thick stems, buds hanging unopened. "But I must say, you are sweet." she lifted her arm, revealing blooming pink roses and sharpening thorns, holding her in place. Others scattered, obviously not wanting a new cell.

"Hey, Rosalie? Isn't that a bit.. Harsh?"

"What do you mean?" She turned her head to face him, stopping in mid-air.

"I just mean.. She's just a fan. You're right, I don't like her like that, but I like her how I like all my fans. They're nice, but they mostly know they won't get with me. She never said that I might like her. Besides, I really wasn't smiling at her, I was smiling.. At everyone down there. For being brave."

Her eyes softened into a light crimson at his words, and he smiled back, glad he could still recognize her in there. "That's sweet of you.. But she took all the attention from everyone. She should still be there for a bit. Besides, she's really not in danger. She just can't move. It's like a time-out. She needs to think about her vanity."

As they started moving again, he noticed that Louis hadn't said anything the entire time. He only looked out expressionlessly, seeming to accept that this was happening. Nothing could stop this. He wished he could get him out right then, just to get that horrible look off his face.

"Louis!" a high-pitched voice cried out from below, making him loose his train of thought.

He looked down at the nearly empty street, seeing a young girl with dark grey curly hair with a strange grey tint to her otherwise peachy skin and half a comma shaped mask on her not-black eye (the other eye had pitch black replacing the whites) being followed by a much taller girl with a similar skin tone and fading deep blue locks, a blinding and strong white at the roots, wearing a simpler blue mask over both normal eyes. The latter girl was trying to catch up to the former, and did so within seconds, latching onto her waist so she couldn't run farther than she already had.

"We'll get you out! I promise you'll get out one way or another!" the almost-blacknette shouted up, being interrupted by the partial-bluenette.

"This isn't out job! Let Ladybug and Chat Noir deal with this!" their voices faded away as Rosalie moved father to the tower, obviously annoyed by them but deciding they really couldn't do anything. Their words didn't leave though, and while Adrien's heart stung from the sort-of-bluenette's words, he spotted Louis' relieved smile, almost like he trusted them more than Chat or Ladybug. He didn't understand who they were or why Louis was so happy seeing them.

He risked the question that bothered him the most. "Hey, L- uh, what's your name?" 'I guess it can wait a bit..'

Louis looked up. "Oh, I'm Louis. I worked- work, at a flowershop. You know, the one you got your roses from."

"Wait, really? You work there?"

"Yeah.." he chuckled without a smile, and looked up to Rosalie. More specifically, her akuma. "That's your flower. But I guess it's hers now."

"It is mine. We split our flowers. And we're almost there, so you can keep quiet and start talking when we get there."

"Sorry, Rosie," Adrien said, and giggled when her face warmed up slightly. 'She's still in there somewhere..'

Suddenly they started going up, and he noticed they had reached the base of the tower. With the involuntary movement, he usually would cling to something, but he had is hands tied. Or more specifically, his arms and legs were tied.

Barely a second later, the flower stems and leaves around him loosened, dropping him onto the top floor of the tower, which was already being surrounded by incredible amounts of various flowers. He stretched his limbs, glad to be out of his bonds. Looking to his side, he noticed that he, Louis, and Rosalie were the only ones there, and Louis was also set free.

Well, set into a more spacious room.

Before leaving, she lightly patted his closed palms, smiling to him sweetly and opening the vines to leap out, surely to find Alya. He had to work fast.

He went over, tapping the other blond's shoulder to catch his attention. "Hey."

He turned, brown eyes laced with confusion as he answered. "Is she.. Usually like this? Is this normal."

He took in a breath. "Yes and no. Akumas are normal, and I've gotten used to it, will all my friends being akumatized already, but not everyone gets akmatized. Did you move here recently?"

"Uhh, you could say that."

"From where? Wait- that doesn't matter. You have her miraculous, right?"

He visibly relaxed for some reason and opened his palm. "You mean her earrings?"

Her earrings. A soft black filled them, small and unnoticeable if you weren't looking for them. Of course they were. She had to hide her identity.

He smiled warmly at them, answering him. "Yeah. Her earrings. You don't mind if.. Do you want to get out of here?"

He chuckled. "She probably would. But I'd like to get out. Do you have a plan?"

"I'm not very good with plans. I'm just going to try cutting through all this, or pushing them aside. She won't find Alya easily, so we have time."

Louis nodded, pocketing the earrings and walking with him to the stairs, that were inevitably covered by a thick bed of green and many vibrant petals. He tried his luck at pushing them out of the way, but found another layer underneath. He pulled at that, only to find another layer, but it seemed to be the last one.

All the while, the vines writhed and squirmed in his hands, making it extremely hard to keep them still. He let go, watching his work disappear as they realigned themselves. He turned back to Louis. "Sorry, but could you-"

"Help? It doesn't seem easy. I thought you would've asked sooner." He knelt down, grabbing onto the plants and pulling them apart.

'Really? Does it seem that hard?' he pulled with him, noticing that his limbs were getting increasingly tired, and when he grabbed onto Louis' side of greenery so he could slip through, he was already weaker.

Once Louis had started holding it for him, he steadied himself through the shrinking hole, and watched as he let go and the cage closed once again, but with them on the outside.

"That was.. More exhausting than expected," he voiced his thoughts, not missing his new buddy's expression.

"Yeah.. But at least we're out."

'And here comes the weird part.. I'm going to regret this...' "Okay, part two of my escape plan. I know Chat, and I'm sure he can get you out of here, but only you. I'll have to separate from you, since she seems to want to.. Hold onto me, so she would probably go after me first if it came to chasing me or you. You should hide somewhere in the mean-time, but tell me where, so I can tell chat." Part of it was just reassurance, but that didn't matter now.

"Will you be okay? She'll probably catch you."

"I'll be fine. I let myself get caught before. She doesn't know it, but I can be very fast and agile. Fencing comes with it's ups, you know." He threw in a wink, which in hindsight, could be a bit weird.

Instead of reacting to the wink, he nodded, then glanced around, pointing at a closet he found nearby. "Is that good?"

He grinned. "It's perfect. Now, go in there, and if you hear a four knock pattern, open the door. Chat will be there." he watched him nod again before turning, throwing him a wave before running off two floors below to transform.

Then get right back up there and knocking four times in the door before picking up a relieved Louis and carrying him off to somewhere safer.

Though he wasn't as relieved as when he saw those two girls..

'Just who were they?'

He shook his head, dispersing the thought and focusing on the task at hand.

"Is something wrong, Chat Noir?"

He smiled to him, trying to forget all about what crazy life he must have. "No purroblem, Louis. Nothing bad."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, could be better.. But I got in what I wanted to get in. Onnu was in there, and so was Oimmio (neither names are confirmed, and I can explain. In the second book I'm planing ((hahah a)) ), and Rosalie doesn't have perfect powers. So overall, I'd say it's pretty good. ... Or, at least somewhat publishable.
> 
> This has't been proof-read, and I'm apologising for mistakes.
> 
>  
> 
> Also I forgot to upload in here I'm so so sorry please forgive me


	11. "Ladybird?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone gets a miraculous

Once he landed lightly at the school, Louis slipped out of his grasp, holding his arms out to get a bit of balance. He turned to the superhero, reaching into his pocket. "Um, thanks.. This should go to you..." He dropped the earrings in his hand.

"Thank you Louis. ... Did you know.. Uh, know she was Ladybug before she.."

"No, I didn't. She just have me the earrings, telling me to hold them. And then she transformed.. Can you help her?"

He smiled. "Of course I can." He glanced down at her miraculous, which lightly clinked on his ring when he moved his hand. "But I can't do it alone. I can't ask you to put yourself in danger either.." he started, looking up again. "..plus you don't have pierced ears, so I want you to stay here."

He nodded, looking out to the evacuated streets. Apparently, she made her impression, as everyone ran off. But it didn't seem that was what he noticed, with the anxious look crossing his face.

"... What is it?"

"Huh? Oh, no, it's nothing..."

He grimaced. "... Uh.. I noticed you had some.. "Followers" while being held with Rosalie."

He had a look of disbelief crossing his face. ".. You mean Oppu and Nuqo? Ah- uh," he quickly replaced the look with a fake smile. "The blue and black haired girls?"

"Yeah. Who were they?" he shifted his head to the side in confusion.

"A-umm.. They were friends. They help me with my French sometimes."

"So you're not native?" He heard a crash, swiveling his head to inspect. Of course, she was still out there. "Ah, sorry, it doesn't matter. Stay safe." He pulled out his baton and ignored the audible relieved sigh from Louis when he leapt off.

'What is going on with that guy?'

\---

"He's an idiot, a downright idiot! I'm not going out to get him, he's an idiot!"

She had been repeating that and very similar phrases to herself the entire time, pacing back and forth through the living room so much she was sure there would be a dent by the end of it. She pulled on her hair in agitation, looking out the front door window for the 7th time.

"Agreste, you are an idiot!" she screamed, regretting it the second she did and locking the door once again. "Ugh, I should've just gone after him.. I'm an idiot..." She slumped against the door, her face covered by her hand

She heard someone chuckle on the other side of the door, making her freeze. They knocked on the door, finally speaking up and letting her settle a bit.

"Alya, could you unlock the door for this idiot?"

She jumped up, fumbling with the lock and finally getting it open after 5 century-long seconds. She swung it open, expecting to see Adrien's slightly tossled hair and joking smile up, but stepped back when she saw the much more wild style and sad look of Chat Noir.

"Ah- Chat..? What.. What are you doing here?" She opened the door wider for him, checking the empty street behind him for anything suspicious. After he stepped in, an even emptier laugh escaped his lips.

"I need your help, and you're the person I trust most with this."

\---

"I need your help, and you're the person I trust most with this."

He watched her state at him in awe, speechless besides a few squeaks. He stared back, willing her to respond within the next decade.

"Y-you trust me? Me?" she made a point of poking in her direction to try to understand the situation.

"Yes, you Alya. In exchange for doing this for me, I'll tell you the identities of myself along with Ladybug, since without knowing that, you wouldn't understand what's going on, and you would find out by helping anyway, so it's just easier to tell you now-"

"Wait, wait, wait.. You're saying you'll tell me your identities.. To do some small task?"

"No, not at all. This isn't going to be easy in any way, and knowing who we are is the upside. Wait!" he stopped her from saying anything else before him. "You can't tell anyone who we are. There's a reason we're keeping our identities hidden, even if Hawkmoth already knows who Ladybug is-"

"Hawkmoth knows? How?" her eyes grew wide.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking her right in the eye. "If I tell you, you have to help me."

She nodded, eagerness pouring from her eyes.

"She... Um, Rosalie is.."

"Marinette? Why does she come into.. Play.... Oh my god." she covered her mouth uselessly.

"Um.. Yeah, she was akumatized..."

"How? She's Ladybug!!" The air around her all but radiated confusion.

"We aren't immune to akumas. We just.. Have a harder time accepting them. Besides, it's my fault, of course she was akumatized."

".. Chat, no, whatever you did, it wasn't you. It wasn't anyone. It was everyone."

"But I was the breaking point. I made her fall."

"Chat, that was... Oh don't you dare tell me you're... Jesus Christ, this is too much." she knelt down, her hand covering her eyes.

"Alya? Alya please I can't take on two akumas by myself."

"... Adrien," she mumbled.

"Uh, y- yes?" he sat down in front of her.

"You..." she groaned. "Why?! Both my ships are the same people!!"

He leaned back in shock. "Wh-what?"

"Ladynoir, Adrinette, they were the same thing!!"

"A-adri.. What?"

"What do I call it, ... Ladrinettenoir?!"

"That sounds like a poly ship..."

"Well, it isn't! Because Chat is Adrien, and Marinette is Ladybug!!"

"Alya, are you okay?" he reached out to her shoulder.

"What do I call you, Adrichat?"

"How about just Adrien?" he offered a smile.

She sighed, stretching her fingers and standing up. "So, you came here for a favor?"

He stood up with her, looking to the side. "Yeah, I... I need you to be a temporary Ladybug. Because, you know..."

"A temporary? Y- you mean.. You have her earrings?"

He reached in his pocket, pulling the jewelry out and handing them to her. "No, you have them. I don't have pierced ears, and I noticed you wear earrings sometimes, plus you're very trustworthy, so you're the best choice."

"Isn't there someone who, I don't know, hands out the miraculous? Like, how did you get it?"

"I don't know, and it doesn't matter right now. Can you help?" 'please say you can.'

She nodded, looking at the earrings a moment longer before putting them on hesitantly. She jumpped back and he squinted when a bright pink light appeared in front of them. "What the f-"

"Alya, language!" the small creature - Ladybug's kwami - said, making her shut her mouth and glance at Adrien in shock.

"Alya, meet-.. What's your name?" he chuckled.

"Plagg didn't tell you?"

"He might have, I don't pay much attention to him.."

"Of course you don't." she turned to Alya. "Hello, I'm Tikki, Marinette's kwami." She put her paw out, which Alya shook with her finger wearily.

".. Is this normal?" she looked at Chat for an explanation.

"Yes, it's normal. Be glad she doesn't eat 5 pounds of cheese a day. .. You don't, do you?"

"I prefer cookies, and only about two a day."

Alya glanced between them in awe, still as a statue.

Tikki cleared her throat. "Anyway, back to the subject." she flew in front of algae face, making her flinch. "This is an emergency. We need you to be Ladybird."

She took a deep, cleaning breath. "Ladybird?"

"The chosen Ladybug substitute. She's shown up in history a few times when Ladybug couldn't do her job. Usually it was just for family visits that kept Ladybug from her miraculous, and those Ladybirds were always chosen by the current Ladybug, but..."

"This time is different?" she pulled back her hair into Marinette's pigtails.

"Yeah, this time.. Anyway, you should transform. Chat and I will help you through everything."

She nodded, waited a few seconds in an awkward silence, and asked, ".. How do I transform?"

Tikki gasped quietly and broke into a short fit of giggles. "Oh, I'm sorry! It's just "transformez moi"!"

She nodded, flipping her hair back as she parroted "Transformez moi!" and threw her arms in the air, letting the pink magic encase her. She looked different from Ladybug did - not just the skin tone, body shape, and eyes - it was more the outfit itself. Instead of a flat and simple spandex suit, she had shoulder pads that looked like a ladybug's wings, curled ribbons holding her hair, and patches of streaked black on her legs, neck, and arms.

"Oh my gosh!! Tikki, look!" she glanced around, turning completely to look for her. "Tikki?"

"She's in your earrings. Just like how my kwami is in my ring."

"Really? How?"

"I don't know, but since you're transformed now, we need to go." he glanced at the door. "... But probably through the back door or a window."

She nodded. "My window is open right now. We can get out through there."

He grinned, bowing lightly. "Then lead the way, mademoiselle."

She snickered, heading up her stairs and unlocking her door to a wide open window.

"So why do you have your window open during an alums attack?"

"It slipped my mind. Luckily, I always lock my door." she took her yoyo off her hip, testing it out and throwing it out the window. "You don't happen to know how she uses this, do you?"

"No clue. The baton's more of my style."

"A model having his own style?" she chuckled.

He clicked his tongue. "No, no, Ladybird, a superhero having a style. I'm not Adrien right now."

"Right, okay. So, I just guess how this works?"

"It's how we both got used to our powers."

She nodded, looked out, pulled on the string, and instantly went flying, screaming as she did.

"Oh, that'll need work.." he sucked in a sharp , regretful breath and followed her with a lot less shrieking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about taking so long to update, but I have some announcements!
> 
> I'm doing commissions!!
> 
> I.. Drew the picture for this chapter myself, along with the picture for "Rosalie". It's not just drawings though, I'm doing writing too! The link to my post is here: 
> 
> https://a-l-v-art.tumblr.com/post/170961083816/commissions-ive-only-done-a-commision-once 
> 
> Also, to those on ao3 (yes I put this on ao3), here's to this story on wattpad, so you can see the pictures mentioned: 
> 
> https://my.w.tt/5O3z9PwQDK
> 
> If you can't ask for anything, it's okay, and you can comment or message me on wattpad or ao3 if you don't have a Tumblr account.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's sticking to this story and actually reading my stuff!! Thank you!! I honestly love all of you.
> 
> Once again this handy been previewed by anyone. Zero people.


	12. Fallen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things are figured out.

Once he has untangled the newest hero to Paris from her own yoyo and a streetlight with short vines at the base, they carried on, trying to find where she had gone. It was getting more and more difficult, with the greenery trapping everybody in small cages and between walls of flowers. Ladybird was practicing with the yoyo the entire time, and Chat paid her no attention. He was busy in his own thoughts.

'Maybe she went back to the tower after all. I mean, she couldn't find Alya. But then did she go get her parents? No, we looked there, and they were gone. Nino? Probably not. Definitely not Chloé. ... Right?'

He scratched his head in confusion, and Ladybird looked over. "I'm telling you, she's probably at the tower. We've looked for her in a lot of different places already, and I've got this yoyo thing down."

It fell on her head when she yanked it, making her wince.

"Okay, enough to get by without killing myself."

"You really think she'll be there?"

"Of course, lover boy. I know my bestie and Ladybug better than myself. And by now, she's probably gathered everyone she wants close by, and can't find us. She'll be waiting for you to come and get her, but probably with some kind of trap for your miraculous... Or maybe not?" she tapped her lip.

"Alright, Cesaire, lead the way. You are the head of the team now."

She looked back up and nodded quickly, a determined grin spreading across her cheeks. She spun out her yoyo and threw it, pulling herself to the tower and leaving him to follow after.

'Let's hope you're right..'

\---

She paced back and forth, arguing with someone out of sight through the glowing purple mask around her eyes.

"Shut up, I know Chat took them somewhere. I don't know how, but- .... That doesn't prove anything, and you know it. ... I can beat you to a pulp with no one to stop me, willing or not! .. Sure, yeah, I'm threatening you! Try me then! I can keep the miraculous for myself and you wouldn't be able to get them from me! ... Of course you can't. Look, I can easily pluck this stupid flower out of my hair at any time and be done with you. You bet I won't? ... Leave me alone!"

At that, the mask dissipated, leaving an irritated Rosalie trotting around the room, her rose's stem lengthening and twisting around her, wrapping harmlessly around her neck and eyes, forming a choker and mask with blossoms decorating the sides. 

"Sweetheart, could you possibly.. Um.. Untie us? We're at the tower already, and it's a bit cramped." 

She flicked her hand over to her parents without a second beat and let them loose from their bonds. Returning to her irritation, She tugged on her loose hair and ducked her head down in frustration.

"Cataclysm!"

Her head swished to the noise, and watched at her vines crumbled into dead ashes around her, falling to the pavement far below. Behind the swiftly withering stems and leaves was Chat on his staff and... Ladybug?!

"What?! Who are you? Wha- what are you doing here? Why do you have my miraculous?!" She clenched her trembling fists in rage, giving them the strongest and foulest glare she could muster. Apparently it was good, according to their reactions.

"I-I'm Ladybird! Yeah, Ladybird, and I'm here to de-evilize you! And take your akuma, and get your sweet side back!"

She groaned, throwing her hand at them and tossing the seeds out. Unluckily, they both managed to dodge, winding them up on the tower with her.

"I'm not in the mood for this! Just go away!" She tried to stomp off, but Chat jumped in front of her, and Ladybird was swinging her yoyo behind Rosalie, the threat of her being tied up ever present.

The impersonater spoke. "Marinette, we just want to-"

"I don't care about what you want. I want Adrien here, and Alya, and Louis, Nino, everyone in class, and you, Chat. I want you here too, and I don't want to fight you, that's just wrong. I want to take down that spineless moth with you, but you're making it so hard. And you replaced me! With- with some girl off the street!"

"She's not just some girl-"

"What is she then? Don't tell me she's your girlfriend, I'll just hate her more-"

"That hurts, you know. Thinking I'd date this dork-"

"I'm not a dork."

"You're pretty dorky, sunshine."

"Sunshine? You two have nicknames?!"

"We know each other, of course we have nicknam-"

"So you are dating! And to think you flirt with me every-"

"Marinette, she's our classmate, and I love y-"

"Our classmate? We're classmates? Wha- I know you?! As a classmate?!"

"Girl, calm down-"

"Girl? A-aly-"

"Stop!! Girls, we aren't getting anywhere with this!"

"We were getting somewhere! I know both of you? And you! Alya! You're my best friend!"

"That's why I'm here!"

"So much for keeping our identities hidden."

"Shut it lover boy."

"Uhh.. Marinette?"

They all looked behind Rosalie to her parents, who had been standing there awkwardly as the teens rambled on almost endlessly. "Yes, Maman?" she said in the sweetest voice she had used all day.

"We- uh.. We wanted to know what's going on? Your conversation was a bit hard to follow."

She sighed lightheartedly. "This is Ladybird, or Alya." She gestured to her, and they waved awkwardly to eachother. "This is Chat Noir, someone in my class."

"You don't know who he is?"

"I'd rather like to tell her when she'll actually remember afterwards."

"She won't remember? What will she forget?" Worry filled Tom's voice.

"Just what happens while she's akumatized."

"You're getting on my nerves again.."

"Sorry princess."

"Princess?" Ladybi- Alya quirked an eyebrow.

"I call Marinette "princess", and Ladybug "My Lady"."

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you like her."

"I don't like her. I love her."

"H-huh?" she squeaked.

Chat snapped his head her way, seeming to have forgotten she was there, blushed suddenly and madly. "S-sorry, I know you were just rejected and all, it's a terrible time-"

"Wait, you mean to say that you love Ladybug, through all that seemingly pointless flirting, but you re-"

"A- Ladybird!! Secret identity!"

"She won't remember afterward!"

"But hawkmoth can probably hear what she's hearing! Then they'll both put two and two together, and as terrible as it is that he knows who Marinette and you are, it'll be a thousand times worse if he knows who I am!"

"Fair point. But shouldn't we deal with Rosalie?"

"I'm not something that you have to deal with."

Just then, the glowing purple mask reappeared over her scarlet eyes.

\---

Chat watched her wearily as hawkmoth spoke to her, awaiting her reaction to his poisonous words. He settled slightly when her lips formed into a snarl, directed to no one she could see.

"Have you forgotten who beat you hundreds of times before? Just because I'm akumatized doesn't mean in under your control! ... No, I have no reason to fight them. ... Sure, I don't need this!" She reached up to her rose, but her hand flinched inches away, and pain was written across her face as her form fell to its knees.

"Marinette?!" Chat, along with everyone else present, rushed to her side, trying to help her stand back up. She pushed them all away though, and held her head as her eyes squeezed shut.

He watched helpessly with his jaw hanging open and eyes wide as she grit her teeth and pulled on her hair, seeming more hurt by the second. He tried to reach out, but the second He touches her arm, she relaxed, her head still drooping and her eyes downcast, but her arms fell to her sides as her fingers dropped from the knotted mess she had made. They all had the sense to back off, but while everyone else tried getting across the floor, he stayed the closest, wanting to believe she could fight back hawkmoth's control.

"Marinette.. Princess, look at me. Bugaboo, I know you're still in there somewhere, so please, if you have any control, fight back as much as you can. Don't stop. We just want to get you away from him. Please, my lady..."

She stood up slowly, but instead of it looking like her, her movements were sloppier, like someone else was trying to get used to her body. Her head lifted just enough for him to see her mouth and watch it open as she spoke.

".. I am not your lady. I.." Her head rose more, revealing her near emotionless red eyes, with only the smallest hint of recognition shining in them. ".. Am Rosalie. And I need your miraculouses."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am really sorry with how slow I've been updating. I know I don't have that many readers, but you guys mean a lot to me. Thank you for sticking around.
> 
> I don't know if I've already said this or not, but I've planned to have a sequel to this since the very beginning. I thought I should mention it, since it might seem like I could be giving up on this. But I promise everyone, I would never want to give this up.
> 
> This hasn't been previewed by anyone.


	13. Thorns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter of this book. There will be a sequel book.
> 
> Rosalie forgets her own memories, and attacks Ladybird and Chat with no restraints. Everyone else mourned her loss.

Their voices caught in their throats. They tried to say something as her eyes rose up, glimmering a bloody red in her irises, but nothing came to mind for any of the four. Their eyes burnt, but nothing outside their hearts fell.

Rosalie was the first to recover, but there wasn't much to recover from. She lunged to Chat's hand, which he luckily pulled out of her reach before her gloved fingers could brush against the gleaming green pawprint.

Chat, of course, was the next to come to his senses. "M-Marinette, please, you're not like this-"

She squinted at him, no humor in her expression. "Who's Marinette? I'm Rosalie."

Ladybird's blood ran cold. She opened her dry mouth and asked wearily, ".. And who is Rosalie? 

She scowled. "You know, it's annoying when you act like I'm not here."

"Then.. Who are you? Are you.. A hero?"

She scoffed. Everyone else flinched at the sound. "What do you think?" She held her hand out to her side, and no one else moved as vines sprouted from her wrist. It coiled into her palm, and her fingers closed around it as it lengthened out, sharp and deadly at the tip.

"Neither, you idiots. I'm just revealing the truth about this despicable world. I'm letting everyone feel what the world holds. And that's pain."

Ladybird swallowed dryly. Her best friend, her role model, her idol, would never act like this. This wasn't the girl she helped dance with her crush. Not the girl who saved her life, and many others' lives, countless times. This was an empty copy.

She may sound like her, but this was not her hero, as Ladybug or as Marinette.

With tears in her eyes and a tighter grip on her yoyo string, she lunged forward, vision and mind set on getting that cursed, dark flower in her hair.

\---

She smirked viciously when Ladybird started running at her, and used her anger to launch forward herself, though got irritated when Chat Noir grabbed onto her arm. She threw her arm around and aimed for his face, proud of herself when she left a deep gash on his right cheek, oozing a red darker than her eyes. After, he fell to his knees, clutching to his cheek with teary eyes.

She reached for his ring again, only to have someone else grab her arm. Really, this was getting old. She turned her head just enough to look at whoever reached out to her, and found a small Chinese woman desprately clinging to her glove, eyes glossed over with angry tears.

"Well then? You're not a miraculous weilder, how well did you plan this out?" she snipped at the woman.

"I-I.." she started, but bit her lip and looked down, shaking. Rosalie stared down at her, waiting to see if she really had anything to say.

"Y-you... Really don't remember anything? Nothing at all?"

She looked at her a moment more, then yanked her arm from the woman's grasp. "What is there to remember?"

With that, she turned her back on the woman, and didn't see when she looked back up, heartbreak and betrayal obvious in her eyes. Nor did she see the man farther behind her break down in the same manner.

She instead locked her eyes back on her prey, Ladybird and Chat Noir. She wouldn't let them beat her. Not like the other akumas before her.

\---

While watching the encounter between Sabine and Rosalie, Chat cupped his cheek, desperately willing himself not to cry. She wouldn't see that as something to comfort, like his lady would. She would see it as a weakness. An opportunity to attack.

He couldn't let that happen.

Shaking, he pulled his bloodied hand off his face and firmly gripped his staff, aiming it at her. In turn, she directed the full force of her burning cold glare his way, and confidently pointed her sword- no, thorn- at his chest. She wasn't like any of the other akumas now. She was a full warrior, someone ready to massacre anyone in her way if she so wished to. It frightened him. 

A quick glance to his side let him know that he wasn't the only one scared stiff. Alya- Ladybird, shook in her suit, and her fists clung to her yoyo string like it was the only think keeping her alive. Which wasn't that much of a stretch.

He searched his brain for a plan. A plan, a plan... Usually, Ladybug would use her lucky charm and somehow trap the akuma, usually by getting on its nerves or reasoning with it. If not, confusion was the next best thing. Those were the most common weaknesses. But Rosalie didn't have any memories, and is as sharp as Ladybug, as Marinette, so can't be confused too easily. He grimaced, trying to calculate things he usually disnt have to deal with...

"Chat! Pay attention!!" His head shot up again, just in time to see Rosalie lunge for him, and just in time to duck out of the way. She skid to a stop, somersaulted back around, and jabbed at him again. This time he jumped, and landed beside Ladybird.

"Good to see you're back. You spaced out there." She had a fresh gouge in her side, and her breathing was shallow and quick-paced.

He gulped down empty air, trying to stomach the ghastly sight. "Y-yeah, sorry, I was trying to come up with a pla-" his words were cut short by Rosalie's sword, which missed him by a hair. A new gash decorated his arm, and it hurt like hell.

"Didn't you have one before?!" she yelled, drawing Rosalie away as he got back up.

"Yeah, kinda, but the situation's changed!" He used his arm to prop himself up, and sucked in a sharp breath. He needed Alya to cure the damage soon. It was too deep.

"Cut the chitchat! It won't matter when you're dead anyway!"

His thoughts halted. She said dead. When they're dead. She... She wanted to kill them. No akuma had wanted that before. Not even the absolute worst of them.

Hawkmoth's purple outline appeared again, decorating her cold eyes. She narrowed them slightly, annoyance hinted in the hue. "Of course I mean it. Why would you care?" A moment passed. And then another. Her frown grew.

And in her eyes, chat caught the slightest glimmer of hurt in her eyes as she said her next words, thorn sword swaying at her side.

"Pain doesn't discriminate between people. It's people that discriminate, and lie, and torture. The human world is cruel.. And it seems even you don't know how far it's limits are."

His eyes widened in fear. Fear of her, fear of her words, fear for himself, fear of himself. It was him who created this akuma. Him who didn't catch her pain, didn't help her, didn't save her. It was his fault that she was pushed this far. It was his fault that she did any of this.

So it has to be him to fix it, no matter how much pain he had to go through for it. No, for her.

That's when he remembered the lucky charm.

"Ladybird, lucky charm."

She looked at him and nodded. "Got it."

\---

"What's the matter with you two? You keep forgetting that you're fighting me!" she growled, fingers tight on her lance.

Her eyes fixes into a sharp glare as the pair jumped up after Chat whispered to Ladybird. She bent her knees immediately and chased after them. Their miraculouses were Hawkmoth's, and their lives were hers!

"Ladybird, now!" She squinted as pink light flooded the tower, and shielded her eyes from the two. Something about that bothered her. A lot.

A red and black cooler fell from the sky, and she stared at it in confusion for a moment before Ladybird caught it. She stared at it the same way.

She shook her head. It didn't matter what that meant. The cooler couldn't do anything to her, she just had to destroy it as well. Maybe encase it in some vines, and- oh! Ladybird and Chat Noir's bodies could be wrapped in orange lilies! How fitting!

She smirked at her cleverness and bent lower, preparing for a jump towards them, when suddenly they leapt off the tower. Right off the tower! She went after them, following off the edge, and extended her hand to the pavement below, making vines sprout from her arm and stab into the concrete. She lowered herself gently and with power, chuckling at the "heroes" below.

"You can't hide from me that easily, you pair if idiots. And I thought you'd been doing this for a while." When she was close enough to the ground, she sliced off the vines from her arm, letting them curl up and die around her.

Ladybird stood in front of Chat, looking quite sad and disgruntled. No matter, the fight would be over soon. She charged at them both, lance at the ready, and eyes set to their chests, their easiest targets.

Ladybird did the same, holding something behind her back. But Rosalie didn't notice. Her mind focused on the fact she was still breathing.

Ladybird held fear in her eyes, fear that something wouldn't work out, that consequences would be assured. But she kept running.

And swung both arms forward, one holding a soda and the other twisting off the cap.

Rosalie saw shocked. What happened to the cooler?

She didn't have time to think. The now open bottle was aimed at her, or more specifically her eyes, and the soda reaches her in no time. Her eyes stung. They stung horribly. She was sure her eyes never felt this bad before. She screamed, and covered her sticky face, falling to her knees.

She knew what they would do next. They would go for her akuma. She wouldn't let that happen, especially not when she was near defenseless. She yanked one arm off her face, the one still holding the thorn sword, and impaled the ground, listening to the pavement crack and crumble around her. She felt the giant vines sprout, curling and encasing her as tears streamed through her fingers.

"Cataclysm!!"

She opened her eyes painfully at the sound. It sounded like defeat. And it was incredibly close.

She willed the vines to grow faster, but it was too late. Something dark, brutal, and dangerous embedded her being, stunning her still, and she could do nothing as it spread, destroying her. If wasn't fair, she.. She wasn't-!

\---

He made it.

He made it in time.

His fingers were wrapped around a former flower, which crumbled to dust from his power. The black butterfly, as always, escaped the broken item and fluttered a bit away, before a black and red yoyo swung towards it, trapping it in a bright, warm light.

He turned to see Alya in Ladybug's suit, wordless, letting the now pure white butterfly get away, and make her way to the cooler. She threw it in the air, and they watched together in silence as the ladybugs supper around Paris, restoring everything to its former-Rosalie state. No more flower-encased citizens, no more vine covered buildings, no more empty soda bottle lying on the ground.

No more wounds either.

Black bubbles formed around Rosalie and faded off, leaving a confused and tired Marinette sitting with her hand covering her eyes.

"Wh.. What happened? Wait, where am I? Where's Louis?" she threw her head around to take in her surroundings when her eyes fell on chat. "Oh... What are you doing here? Why are you transformed?"

He smiled softly to her, and cupped her cheek. He knelt in front of her and leaned closer, kissing her forehead gently. "Let's just say, it's great to have you back, princess."

"What? But, nothing happened, ri-!! Oh my god, w-was I...?"

He looked at her. Fear filled her bluebell eyes, and he watched as they glanced behind him.

"O-oh, are you Ladybug's, umm... Second partner?" She brushed her finger across her empty earlobes, then awkwardly tucked her hair behind her ear to cover herself.

"I... Yeah, I'm her back-up, Ladybird. She... I mean, uhh... She was busy..?" He turned to her, and could easily tell she was having a hard time.

"Marinette, don't worry, nothing bad happened. See?" He stood next to Ladybird, showcasing their lack of injuries. "We're fine. You didn't hurt us."

Tears filled her eyes. It hurt to look at. "Ah, okay... Sorry, I, um.." she stood up, wiping her eyes. "I think I should go home. I can get there myself. You two should, uh, get back home as well, I guess." She turned away, hands near her face.

Chat remembered something. "One more thing!" he reached to her shoulder, and got close to her ear. Gently, he whispered "My name's not Louis. You've bagged the wrong cat."

She gasped. "I did?"

He chuckled. Oh, how he loved her. "Yeah, my name doesn't even sound like that."

"Hehe, sorry, I'll be more careful about it."

He let go of her shoulder, and watched as she walked away. "So, now what?"Alta asked. "Will you tell her you know? That you rejected her for her? Will you tell her about my identity?"

He looked at her, then out into the sky. He didn't know. She might hate him if he did. He rejected her, after all. And it wouldn't be safe. Just him knowing wasn't safe. The only thing he did know for certain, other than that he loved her dearly, was that they needed to get closer before they could do anything.

He couldn't leave her heartbroken, and he couldn't confess right away. He needed to work this out.

With her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so bad at updating. I told myself over the summer that I would write a lot, but I seriously did absolutely nothing. I don't know what's wrong with me.
> 
> Anyway, this is the end of this book. I plan on making a follow-up book for it, since it won't fit the flower theme anymore. Because, you know, there's no more Rosalie.
> 
> But I'll try really hard to keep up with it, I promise.
> 
> Any questions? Comments? Concerns? Misspelled anything or grammar mistakes, since nobody proofread this but me? You can tell me anything you want, I'll read each and every word.
> 
> That is, if anyone wants to say anything to me.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, here's the first chapter! Sorry to say, but it doesn't necessarily get "better". Marinette doesn't have a good time. Feel free to comment, I'll try to answer everything!


End file.
